Their brand new bright blue uniforms are not the only reason the Andover Girls Varsity Field Hockey team is standing out on Academy Hill this fall. After beating Loomis Chaffee 2-1 and Harvard’s JV 5-2 this past week, the Girls continue to rake in the wins. The girls dominated both in Saturday’s heat and on Harvard’s fast turf field and are now 2-0, already proving that they are on their way towards a winning season. Last Saturday, the girls came through with a comeback win to take Loomis by surprise, scoring their only goals in the last five minutes after being down for almost the entire game. Kat Dix ’05 was the first to put the Lady Blue on the scoreboard with an assist from Lauren Seno ’05. Just minutes later, Seno scored herself, this time on an assist from teammate Nikki Crocker ’05. Crocker capitalized on a free hit just outside the circle to find Seno for the game-winner with a mere 8 seconds on the clock. Captain Marissa Hudson ’04 said of the Loomis game, “Saturday’s game was a come from behind victory, and we just wanted it more than the other team. It was really hot out and everyone was tired, but we played the whole game and it really showed.” The girls took a unique challenge in their next game, traveling to Cambridge to take on Harvard’s JV team. Even though the Lady Blue had to deal with a new surface and the idea of playing a college team, the Harvard team did not stand a chance. This time, instead of leaving their fans in suspense, the girls went right to work. Seno scored three goals, two on assists from Captain Hudson and one from Dix. The scoring barrage came within a ten-minute time span to catapult Andover into a 3-0 lead. Seeing its chances of winning dwindle, Harvard capitalized on a penalty with less than a minute on the clock to end the first half PA leading 3-1. In the second half, the girls were still on top of their game. Megan Montecalvo ’06 took the ball from midfield to the net for a goal to increase the Andover victory. Dix raised PA’s lead to 5-1, but the game did not end before Harvard scored once more in an attempt to lessen their defeat. The girls were proud of their win. “Wednesday’s game was a lot different because it was on turf,” said Hudson. “We had practiced in the cage on Tuesday for the faster, new surface but when we started the game, we weren’t used to the new surface. By the end of it, we had improved a lot. The game was a good chance to have fun work on the skills you don’t use on grass.” Crocker said of the two wins and positive start to the season, “I think winning the first two games of the season makes a good impact on the morale of the team. It shows us right from the start that if we play well and we play together, we can really succeed as a team.”
